Billfold having a locking tab



G. W. DURHAM BILLFOLD HAVING A LOCKING TAB June 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 10, 1947 Iuz'cuto; George W Durham Fig.3.

June 5, 1951 BILLFOLD HAVING A LOCKING TAB Filed March 10, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4.

Fig. 7.

I u zeutbr George W. Durham c. w. DURHAM I 2,555,789,

Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in billfolds and has for its primary object to provide foldable pocket-forming flaps at the side edges of the back of the billfold and including a flap substantially coextensive with the back to form a bill compartment and providing a locking tab of novel construction for the bill compartment.

A further object of the invention is to otherwise struoturally improve the billfold and which, at the same time, is neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the inside of the billfold in open position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the billfold in partly open position.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the billfold is constructed.

Figures 5 and 6 are plan views of the removable tongues, and

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of one of the identification tags.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention the numeral 5 designates the blank of leather or other suitable material from which the billfold is constructed and which includes the body 6 of substantially rectangular form and which forms the back or outer wall of the billfold and at one longitudinal edge of which is formed a flap I foldable upon the body 6 along the fold line B to form a bill compartment. A longitudinal slot 9 is formed in the flap I adjacent the fold line '8 and to the edges of which a slide fastener ID of conventional construction is secured.

The central portion of the opposite longitudinal edge of the body 6 is formed with a substantially T-shaped tab II adapted for engaging slits I2 in the flap I to secure the flap in its folded position against the body 6.

At each side of the tab II the body 6 is formed with elongated laterally extending flaps I3, the outer half of the flaps I3 being foldable upon themselves along the fold line I4 and the inner 55 half of the flaps I3 are foldable upon the body 6 along the fold lines I5 and outwardly against the flap l to form pockets I6 and I! at each end of the billfold.

The ends of the body 6 are provided with flaps I8 and I9 :foldable along the lines 20 and 2| respectively, the outer ends of the flaps I8 and I9 being formed with T-shaped locking tabs 22 and 23 respectively. The flaps IB and I9 thus close the outer edges of the pockets I6 and I! while the inner edges thereof are open.

After the flaps I8 and I9 have been folded inwardly against the pockets I6 and I! the same are secured in position by elongated metal tags 26 having bendable T-shaped tabs 21 bent around the edges of the narrow portions of the tabs 22 and 23 and inserted in the slits 24 and 25 of the pockets It and IT to thus secure the flaps I8 and I9 in a closed position against the outer surfaces of the pockets It and IT and to thus close the outer edges of said pockets while the inner edges thereof remain open.

The tags 26 may carry suitable identification indicia 23 to identify the owner of the bi'llfold.

Tongues of a type shown at 29 in Figure 5 of the drawings and at 36 in Figure 6 of the drawings may have their ends inserted behind the pockets I6 and I? to provide additional compartments and one end of the tongue 30 is reduced as shown at 3I for insertion under one of the tags 25 as shown at the left hand side of Figure 1 of the drawings. The reduced end of the tongue 3!} thus serves as a flap 32 to close the inner edge of the pocket I6 and which is retained in closed position by the identification tag.

The pocket I! may hold a memo pad or the like 33.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a billfold, the combination of a rectangular shaped body portion forming a back, a flap at one longitudinal edge of the body foldable thereon to form a compartment, said flap having a pair of slits, a substantially T-shaped tab at the opposite longitudinal edge of the body and engaged in said slits to secure the flap in folded position, foldable flaps at the ends of the body portion overlying the first-named flap and closing the ends of the compartment formed thereby, and means holding the end flaps in closed position.

GEORGE W. DURHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I-Iumphreys Oct. 23, 1923 Gardner July 5, 1932 Buxton May 16, 1933 St. Thomas et a1. Apr. 5, 1938 Rauhaus May 16, 1939 Sherwood July 28, 1942 Sherwood Sept. 1, 1942 Sherwood Nov. 6, 1945 Feld Aug. 12, 1947 Pence Jan. 6, 1948 Mueller July 25, 1950 

